Polsinelli

In what can be seen as a victory for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 21 finalized its proposal to phase out Medicare’s inpatient-only list and open the door for which procedures can be covered in the ASC. In addition to those moves, ASCs will see an average update of 2.6%, which includes a 3.3% inflation adjustment and a 0.7 percentage-point productivity adjustment.  The ASC community has been advocating for years to … [Read more...]

UCLA Health officials have confirmed the closure of two small community ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), adding to a string of facility closures over the last two years.  The closures are reportedly a cost-cutting measure, and the closure date provided was Dec. 5.  “As part of a restructure to improve efficiency, UCLA Health has made the difficult decision to close operations at two small community ambulatory centers in Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks,” a UCLA Health spokesperson told … [Read more...]

Last year was a pivotal year for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry, marked by transformative trends, groundbreaking innovations and high-stakes decisions that reshaped the landscape. It was also an exciting year for us at Ambulatory Surgery Center News, as we launched in the summer of 2024 with a mission to deliver in-depth reporting and actionable insights tailored to ASC operators, investors, payers, clinicians and other stakeholders. Since our debut, we've brought you stories … [Read more...]

Ophthalmology is a growing specialty in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space. In part, that growth is fueled by operators using advanced technology that increases patient satisfaction and generates more demand. Rising case rates and ownership opportunities for younger physicians are also giving ophthalmology momentum in the ASC industry. Ophthalmology is so hot, in fact, there may be a looming supply-demand imbalance for ASCs to contend with down the line. “In ophthalmology, I … [Read more...]

The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) landscape continues to evolve with different ownership and management models, one being the ASC and office-based lab (OBL) hybrid, in which operators combine the services of both facilities under the same roof.  This model is particularly popular in cardiology, William Hoffman, a shareholder at the law firm Polsinelli, told ASC News. But the hybrid approach also works in other specialties, including ophthalmology, according to Joseph D’Agostino, ASC … [Read more...]

A California law requiring private equity firms and hedge funds to get approval from the attorney general's office when buying health care assets appears to be dead in the water. The legislation is Assembly Bill 3129, sponsored by California Representative Jim Wood. Up until now, the bill has had plenty of momentum, making it out of the California State Assembly and succeeding in two committee votes in the California Senate. If finalized, AB 3129 would have forced PE-type buyers to disclose … [Read more...]

For years, the general rule was that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) couldn't share their revenue or profits with physicians, unless those individuals had a stake in the surgery center. But that relatively black-and-white rule may be turning a shade of gray. An under-the-radar opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) issued in October 2023 challenged this long-standing practice regarding profit distribution. While the opinion applies … [Read more...]

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a rule to prohibit most non-compete agreements across the U.S. The decision, if enacted later this year, could significantly impact how ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) retain their most important physicians and executives. But the ban is already seeing some intense opposition, with more pushback expected. On July 3, Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas temporarily blocked the FTC from … [Read more...]